n2doc
n2doc's Journal
Broad, others want half of LAUSD students in charter schools in eight years, report says
Backers outlined an ambitious strategy to place half of the students in the Los Angeles Unified School District into charter schools over the next eight years, a move they said would serve as a model for the rest of the nation, according to documents obtained by The Times.
The 44-page report is dated June 2015 and outlines a campaign of fundraising and building political awareness aimed at reaching the goal, which the report said would require $490 million.
The report cited numerous foundations and individuals who could be tapped to raise money, including the Bill and Melinda Gates, Bloomberg, Annenberg and Hewlett organizations. Among the individuals cited as potential targets for fundraising were Eli Broad, Irvine Co. head Donald Bren, former entertainment mogul David Geffen and Tesla's Elon Musk.
It also suggested a strategy of grassroots organizing and civic engagement designed to generate more interest among parents in charter schools.
L.A. Unified already has the largest charter school program in the country, representing about 16% of total enrollment. But getting to 50% would mean creating 260 charter schools that would provide 130,000 seats, the report said.
more
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-broad-draft-charter-expansion-plan-20150921-story.html
Bernie Sanders Minimum Wage Strike: Pope Visit Encourages Federal Workers To Protest
Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders is expected to throw his weight behind a labor strike of federal minimum wage workers Tuesday ahead of Pope Francis' visit later that day in Washington. The group organizing the strike, Good Jobs Nation, will receive the support of a rising populist power in the Democratic field as they call on U.S. President Barack Obama to issue an executive order increasing the minimum wage of federal workers to $15 an hour.
Sanders has also introduced legislation to raise the overall federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $15 an hour.
The request from the workers, who are employed in the U.S. Capitol or elsewhere throughout the District of Columbia in federal buildings, aligns closely with policies Sanders has been championing on the campaign trail as he looks for the Democratic nomination. The strike is set to begin at 9:30 a.m. local time, and the workers have planned a march to the Capitol dome, where they are expected to hold a "prayer action" with the hopes that it draws attention to their cause before the visit from the pontiff, who is well known for his sympathy toward the fight against poverty.
The pope's U.S. visit has not been without controversy. His views on progressive issues like climate change, immigration, guns and capitalism, for which he has been a prominent voice, clash with those of many Republicans in Congress. The conflict has resulted in many lawmakers urging the pontiff to steer clear of politically charged messages during his speech to Congress.
more
http://www.ibtimes.com/bernie-sanders-minimum-wage-strike-pope-visit-encourages-federal-workers-protest-2108230
Bernie Sanders Minimum Wage Strike: Pope Visit Encourages Federal Workers To Protest
Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders is expected to throw his weight behind a labor strike of federal minimum wage workers Tuesday ahead of Pope Francis' visit later that day in Washington. The group organizing the strike, Good Jobs Nation, will receive the support of a rising populist power in the Democratic field as they call on U.S. President Barack Obama to issue an executive order increasing the minimum wage of federal workers to $15 an hour.
Sanders has also introduced legislation to raise the overall federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $15 an hour.
The request from the workers, who are employed in the U.S. Capitol or elsewhere throughout the District of Columbia in federal buildings, aligns closely with policies Sanders has been championing on the campaign trail as he looks for the Democratic nomination. The strike is set to begin at 9:30 a.m. local time, and the workers have planned a march to the Capitol dome, where they are expected to hold a "prayer action" with the hopes that it draws attention to their cause before the visit from the pontiff, who is well known for his sympathy toward the fight against poverty.
The pope's U.S. visit has not been without controversy. His views on progressive issues like climate change, immigration, guns and capitalism, for which he has been a prominent voice, clash with those of many Republicans in Congress. The conflict has resulted in many lawmakers urging the pontiff to steer clear of politically charged messages during his speech to Congress.
more
http://www.ibtimes.com/bernie-sanders-minimum-wage-strike-pope-visit-encourages-federal-workers-protest-2108230
How Scott Walker's Hubris Killed His Campaign
MOLLY BALL 6:03 AM ET
Every failed presidential campaign is a how-the-mighty-have-fallen story: a politician once strong or deluded enough to think he could lead the nation, humbled by the reality of the electorate’s indifference.
But Scott Walker’s fall was especially precipitous. The Wisconsin governor’s campaign lasted just 70 days. He came in as the Iowa frontrunner and departed a few weeks later as an asterisk, with too little support even to be assigned a number in the last national poll.
How does that happen? How does a politician make such a strong impression out of the gate, then disenchant virtually every person who once told a pollster he should be the next president? Walker didn’t make one giant, disqualifying gaffe. Instead, he made a series of small mistakes—tactical, strategic, rhetorical, and ideological—that added up to an unavoidable conclusion: No matter what, he would not be the nominee.
Walker started out strong—perhaps too strong. Speaking to a conservative confab in Iowa back in January, his lively but common-sense appeal made a major impression among conservatives in the early-voting state, and he rocketed into first place in a field that was just starting to take shape. (Though there wasn’t much doubt that he was running, Walker, citing his gubernatorial duties, wouldn’t officially declare his campaign until July.)
more
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/09/scott-walker-presidential-campaign/406618/?utm_source=SFTwitter
Americans are throwing away tons of “ugly food” each year, causing widespread food insecurity
WRITTEN BY
Jilly Stephens
Executive Director, City Harvest
Growing up in the countryside, I ate my fair share of ugly carrots, and despite their appearance, they were delicious. However, the hundreds of ugly carrots I enjoyed would have never made it to supermarket shelves or through restaurant kitchen doors with today’s high cosmetic standards.
From measuring the millimeters of a cucumber’s curve to fearing a bird-like tomato, industry standards and consumer perceptions determine what produce is pretty enough to sell. This is a surface-level judgment that fails to consider the item’s nutritional value and the 48.1 million food-insecure people in the US who would benefit from the energy, vitamins and minerals on the inside.
In a country where nearly 40% of the food supply is never eaten and 20% never even ends up in grocery stores (primarily because it looks bad), the number of food-insecure people is unacceptable. Our hunger issue is partially an image problem. The millions of Americans who support anti-hunger initiatives believe this, too. Yet our collective efforts to end hunger are often undermined by the inefficiencies before food even reaches the consumer.
The “ugly food movement” is one way to address food waste. It’s spreading globally with initiatives from UK supermarket chain Tesco and is gaining momentum in the US with efforts from Food & Wine editor Dana Cowin’s #LoveUglyFood campaign and grocery chains like Raley’s in California. But more can be done.
By examining the losses that occur during harvest to the waste that occurs post-harvest, we gain insight not only into our inefficiencies but also into possibilities for improvement.
more
http://qz.com/507414/americans-are-throwing-away-tons-of-ugly-food-each-year-causing-widespread-food-insecurity/
Profile Information
Gender: Do not displayMember since: Tue Feb 10, 2004, 01:08 PM
Number of posts: 47,953
